Another option would be to contact a disability advocacy group - I  
mean an all-volunteer group comprised of disabled people who've had  
experience in dealing with situations such as yours.    I don't think  
you're the only disabled person in NYC to face eviction, and at  
least, you might find creative ways to fight the eviction.

Kat




On 12 Dec 2005, at 22:45, Jonathan Rand wrote:

> pleez excuse
>
>  symptoms of drowsiness - keeping me from communicating
> properly.
> --------------------------------
>
> I covered the cleft lip myself.  even a plastic surgeon didn’t  
> notice it.
> (????????)
>
> I no longer hav faith in  these agencies.  if things really start2  
> close in
> on me, the landlord needs 2 b embarrassed in the media.  I don’t c  
> 2 many
> other options besides that.
>
> the average person is sure that this kind of thing never happens.   
> most
> people think that agencies like CIDNY or UCP help people in my  
> situation.
> but they don’t.
>
> I’ll try yor suggestions tho.
>
> thanks!  :)
>
>
>
>
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>
>
>> From: Magenta Raine <[log in to unmask]>
>> Reply-To: [log in to unmask]
>> To: [log in to unmask]
>> Subject: Re: “But there are places for disabled people!”
>> Date: Sat, 10 Dec 2005 18:05:34 -0800
>>
>> You face a horrible situation, Jon! Is there a CIL (center for  
>> Independent
>> Living)  in your area? My mind is boggled by the horror of your  
>> situation.
>> But maybe PAI could help you? That is an agency called Protection and
>> Advocacy and they are in every state, (names may be different)  
>> Call your
>> senator Clinton? Check with your State's Developmental  
>> Disabilities board
>> to see if you might get more help physically. from a Supported Living
>> agency.  perhaps a dental school at a university would fix the cleft
>> palette?
>>
>> Mag
>>
>> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>> [log in to unmask]
>>
>> "What is real but compassion, as we move from birth to death?"
>> ~~Greg Brown~~
>>
>>
>> > [Original Message]
>> > From: Jonathan Rand <[log in to unmask]>
>> > To: <[log in to unmask]>
>> > Date: 12/10/2005 9:54:16 AM
>> > Subject: “But there are places for disabled people!”
>> >
>> > Many of you will not be able to help me in any way with this, but I
>> think
>> > you need to know what’s happening nevertheless.  I suspect this  
>> happens
>> to
>> > many of the physically disabled poor.  Their lives get torn  
>> apart, and
>> > nobody knows about it.  Some rich landlord gets a little richer,  
>> while a
>> > poor person, (even someone with severe disabilities), loses  
>> their home,
>> > their possessions, and even their connections with other people!
>> >
>> > After being taken in by a friend who was mentally ill, (after  
>> losing my
>> own
>> > apartment), and after that person became sicker, and had to  
>> leave here,
>> the
>> > landlord is evicting me.  There are no affordable apartments  
>> available
>> in
>> > Manhattan, and if you’re talking about wheelchair accessible  
>> apartments,
>> > FORGET IT!  (I use a wheelchair.)  (I won’t survive in an outlying
>> borough,
>> > in a dangerous neighborhood, isolated from people in Manhattan  
>> that help
>> me!
>> >   I’ve already been physically attacked by “young males” from the
>> projects,
>> > so I steer clear of those kinds of places.  I’m not sure what  
>> was thrown
>> at
>> > me at one point.  I think it was a bottle.)
>> >
>> > The landlord is apparently thinking about the “bottom line!”  He  
>> let the
>> > back rent build up
>  Legal Aid told me they “couldn’t do anything until
>> it
>> > came right down to the wire!”  And the landlord needed to serve  
>> me with
>> > eviction papers before they would act.  A lot of time went by.   
>> I was
>> > served, (a few times), with papers having to do with THE CAR’S  
>> PARKING
>> > SPACE, downstairs in the parking lot, but no one came to my door  
>> with
>> > anything having to do with the apartment.  An eternity went by, but
>> nobody
>> > lifted a finger to head something like this off!  I knew I was  
>> headed
>> for
>> a
>> > very bad situation but there was little I could do!  I’m severely
>> disabled.
>> > A nonverbal spastic, athetoid quad, (like CEREBRAL PALSY), with low
>> vision.
>> > I can’t use a phone or read text.  Email is my only line to “the  
>> outside
>> > world,” and until recently, I couldn’t even leave this  
>> neighborhood!
>> The
>> > electric scooter I got from Medicaid, DIDN’T FIT ON THE BUS!   
>> And when I
>> > complained about this, (at United Cerebral Palsy, down on East 23rd
>> Street,
>> > here in New York, I was told, “that was the only scooter that  
>> could be
>> > approved.  That’s the law!  And if I didn’t like it, I should go to
>> > Washington and LOBBY!”  (I guess they expected me to crawl there
> ..!)
>> >
>> > Anyway, the landlord refused my friend’s rent check, saying he  
>> violated
>> the
>> > lease.  When he got sicker, he went to his girlfriend’s, so she  
>> could
>> take
>> > care of him, leaving me here alone.  The landlord said: “he wasn’t
>> living
>> > here, and he had an illegal sublet.”  My friend didn’t tell the  
>> landlord
>> > that I was here, BECAUSE HE SUFFERED FROM A DISABLING ANXIETY  
>> DISORDER.
>> He
>> > was AFRAID to!  The lease was never violated maliciously!
>> >
>> > Someone in the neighborhood helped me get a Section-8 rent  
>> voucher.  So
>> soon
>> > after my friend left, I had the ability to pay the rent here!   
>> (This is
>> a
>> > RENT STABILIZED apartment, and the rent is only $100 more than my
>> voucher!)
>> > Current rents everywhere else, are much much higher, so staying  
>> here
>> seemed
>> > like the best option.  If I’m forced to leave, my life will be  
>> literally
>> > torn apart!  I’ve learnt, over the years, to take care of myself  
>> IN THIS
>> > APARTMENT!  The placement of the sink, in relation to the  
>> bathtub, is
>> > important because of the routines I established so I could wash and
>> brush
>> my
>> > teeth in the morning!  if I get on the floor, and lean over the  
>> bathtub,
>> I
>> > can do things like wash my face, or eat on my own!  I rigged a  
>> hose,
>> going
>> > from the bathroom sink faucet, to the bathtub, so I could fill a  
>> cup, or
>> wet
>> > a cloth.  It used to take me five hours to wash & dress  
>> everyday!  Now I
>> can
>> > do it in under two hours!  Take me away from this apartment, and  
>> I’m
>> > “helpless” again!  I took YEARS to figure out how to do this  
>> stuff here,
>> and
>> > I dread having to start all over!  It took me for ever to find  
>> the right
>> > hose, that would fit in the bathroom sink faucet!
>> >
>> > And also, like most men, I guess, I’m fighting the aging  
>> process!  :)
>> My
>> > hair is turning grey!  I darken my mustache!  You might think  
>> that this
>> > routine would be something I could let go of easily!  But I have an
>> extra
>> > problem!  I was born with a facial deformity.  A cleft palate &  
>> lip.  I
>> went
>> > through hell because of this, when I was younger, until I  
>> figured out
>> how
>> to
>> > cover it up, with a big “walrus” moustache!  The moustache, a  
>> pair of
>> “John
>> > Lennon wire rim glasses, & a Beatle haircut, distracted people  
>> away from
>> the
>> > deformity, and my life changed INSTANTLY!  Now that I’m older, the
>> moustache
>> > is turning grey!  It’s losing its shape, and no longer doing its  
>> job,
>> > (unless I use that “stuff!”)  (“GREYaway, Only for ‘REAL’  
>> MEN!)  :)  I
>> made
>> > a kind of “vanity table” that fits in the BATHTUB.  Getting down  
>> on the
>> > floor, and leaning over the tub, enbles me to color my  
>> mustache!  Hands
>> > free!  There’s a light, & an adjustable “jig” that holds a  
>> MIRROR and a
>> > BRUSH.  I have everything worked out!  From mixing the
>> > hair-dye GOO, to applying it, (by moving my head over the mounted
>> brush),
>> > to rincing it off!  I use an electric screwdriver to unscrew the  
>> caps on
>> the
>> > little tubes!  Everything’s worked out.  And the routine is very
>> intricate!
>> > Change ANYTHING, and everything falls apart!
>> >
>> > I’m horrified at the prospect of not being able to take care of  
>> myself!
>> And
>> > the thought of uncovering that deformity after all these years  
>> totally
>> > floors me!  I’m actually surprised that even THIS landlord,  
>> (notorious
>> for
>> > being cruel & mean), is doing this to me!
>> >
>> > People in the system, (social workers etc.), don’t really know  
>> what to
>> do
>> in
>> > cases like this.  And they’re constrained by rules &  
>> regulations, (and
>> lack
>> > of money), so anyone in my position could easily “fall through the
>> cracks
>> “
>> > and get crushed!
>> >
>> > Legal Aid accepted my case about a year ago, and when eviction  
>> papers
>> were
>> > served, I won that round in court on a technicality.  (My name  
>> wasn’t on
>> the
>> > papers.)
>> >
>> > After that, time passed.  And little or nothing was done to try  
>> and head
>> off
>> > the coming storm!  Rent bills started arriving.  I asked my social
>> worker
>> > about these
>  Could it be that the management office wasn’t aware of
>> what
>> > was happening?  There was no response.
>> >
>> > When the lease was up, I got a rent bill saying, “your lease has
>> expired.
>> > Call the office immediately.”  My social worker asked my Legal Aid
>> lawyer
>> > what we should do about this, and was told that I shouldn’t  
>> worry about
>> it.
>> > And that we needed to wait for actual eviction papers to  
>> arrive.  I’d
>> get
>> > served, we’d go to court, and everything would take a really  
>> long time!
>> >
>> > Although I had the Section-8 voucher, back rent was building  
>> up.  And
>> > section-8 won’t pay that!  I asked about this, and was told that  
>> if the
>> > landlord accepted my voucher and allowed me to stay, the CITY  
>> would pay
>> the
>> > back rent!  But until papers were served, nobody would do  
>> anything to
>> head
>> > things off!
>> >
>> > I was worried about being put out in the street!  I was told,  
>> there’s a
>> law
>> > that protects me, (because I’m severely disabled), and I  
>> COULDN’T be put
>> out
>> > until a suitable apartment was found for me.  But recently, another
>> social
>> > worker told me that the city WOULDN’T pay the back rent!  My  
>> name wasn’t
>> on
>> > the lease, and now, there was no lease at all!  And on top of  
>> all of
>> this,
>> > even if I won in court, and could stay here, the landlord is not
>> obligated
>> > to accept my voucher!  He can refuse!  No questions asked!  And  
>> that’s
>> just
>> > what he did.
>> >
>> > And now I’m being told, (by a lawyer, gotten for me by a new  
>> friend),
>> that
>> > there IS NO PROTECTION for me!  And if the marshals came to  
>> force me
>> out,
>> > I’d end up in an institution, (like so many other disabled,  
>> being held
>> > against their will), unless I could prove I had someplace to go!!!!
>> >
>> > During all this time, while the system sat idle, I tried to make
>> something
>> > happen on my own.  if nothing else, I needed to be able TO  
>> TRAVEL, so I
>> > could try and make contact with others “like me!”  I was incredibly
>> lonely.
>> > Cut off by family, with no normal friendships, I dreamt of just  
>> being
>> able
>> > to go over someone’s house to watch a video!  But someone as  
>> severely
>> > disabled as me, could never really bond and become a part of the  
>> lives
>> of
>> > the people around me at the time.  Able-bodied, blind, or “mildly”
>> disabled,
>> > lived a different life!  A wheelchair CHANGES you into a different
>> creature!
>> >   STAIRS are a barrier!  These people lived, worked & played in  
>> places
>> where
>> > I couldn’t go.  And because I can’t talk, real bonding is nearly
>> impossible.
>> >
>> > So when I was told I could get a new power wheelchair, I did my  
>> best to
>> > research things, looking for a chair with a long enough range to  
>> get me
>> out
>> > of the neighborhood!  Maybe I could make contact with some of  
>> the people
>> I
>> > knew before I became so debilitated!  I knew people that used power
>> > wheelchairs, like me!  And there was one person in particular,  
>> who’s
>> level
>> > of disability was similar to mine.  When I got my new chair, I  
>> would go
>> down
>> > to his neighborhood and seek him out.
>> >
>> > Well, I finally connected with this person and his family.  (You  
>> know
>> what
>> > they say about “birds of a feather!”)  We came together with  
>> such force,
>> > that the universe shook!
>> >
>> > When I told them about my housing situation, they became very  
>> alarmed,
>> and
>> > immediately went to work for me.  They know a lawyer who works  
>> for legal
>> > aid.  And he looked for me in the computer, and found out that  
>> the last
>> > lawyer had CLOSED MY CASE!  And that the landlord had already  
>> gone to
>> court!
>> >   He told them that eviction papers had been served.  THAT’S A  
>> LIE!  The
>> > marshals were already on their way here to lock me out!  So now,  
>> we’re
>> > scrambling to get to court before the marshals come here!
>> >
>> > This new lawyer knows the landlord’s lawyer.  (Works with him  
>> all the
>> time.)
>> >   They spoke.  The landlord’s lawyer called the landlord, asking  
>> for
>> mercy!
>> > The landlord hung up on him!!!!!  I think you have to stoop  
>> pretty low
>> to
>> > kick a severely disabled man out of the only affordable, wheelchair
>> > accessible apartment in Manhattan!
>> >
>> > This is a rent stabilized apartment, and if the landlord gets me  
>> out, he
>> > could raise the rent, and get much more money!  if I stay, the  
>> rent has
>> to
>> > remain pretty much the same.  So naturally, they want me out.  It
>> doesn’t
>> > matter how disabled I am.  It doesn’t matter if I get locked  
>> away in an
>> > institution for the rest of my life, (like so many other disabled
>> people,
>> > [because of a system, full of holes, and continual budget cuts  
>> by the
>> > “closet Nazis” that run this government])!  All that matters is  
>> money.
>> The
>> > bottom line!  The landlord wants money!  And he refuses to even  
>> discuss
>> > this.  Even with HIS OWN LAWYER!
>> >
>> > Can anybody help with this?
>> >
>> > I’m thinking if the landlord could be embarrassed in the media,  
>> maybe he
>> > could be force to back down here.
>> >
>> > At one point I made a small effort to rally some tenants around  
>> me.  But
>> > nobody thought they could help.  One person’s comment was, “but  
>> there
>> are
>> > places for disabled people!”  Sure there are!  BIG places, up  
>> state!
>> With
>> > locked doors!
>> >
>> > ------------------------------------
>> > The person I connected with, (along with his family), snatch me  
>> from
>> > SPAGHETTIFICATION in the black hole of neglect by the system, IN  
>> THE
>> NICK
>> OF
>> > TIME!  Was it by the grace of God, that we connected NOW,  
>> instead of a
>> week
>> > later?
>> >
>> > Please try and bring this story out in the open!  Call the  
>> media!  THERE
>> ARE
>> > NO AVAILABLE APARTMENTS FOR PEOPLE WITH PHYSICAL DISABILITIES!   
>> I AM
>> > CURRENTLY IN ONE!!!!  But because the landlord wants to make  
>> more of a
>> > PROFIT, I’m being forced out!  I DID NOTHING WRONG!  I’m  
>> disabled & ill.
>> > And I need a safe place to live!
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >       Very Sincerely,
>> >         Jonathan Rand
>> > ------------------------------------
>> >
>> > Jonathan Rand
>> > 792 Columbus Ave.,
>> > Apt. 5-T
>> > New York, NY 10025
>> >
>> > Landlord:
>> > PARK WEST VILLAGE